Dillian Whyte takes a hard-fought victory over Jermain Franklin in London and now has his sights set on Anthony Joshua
Dillian Whyte took victory over an impressive Jermain Franklin in London last Saturday which saw him bounce back after his failed title challenge against Tyson Fury.
Whyte took a majority decision as the American put up a better challenge then most people predicted which had Whyte fans worried throughout the fight.
It now looks like Whyte will go on to fight Anthony Joshua in early to mid-2023 with potentially an option for a trilogy fight that summer.
In terms of Franklin, he proved on Saturday that he belongs in the ring with the top guys in the division.
It was an entertaining fight in the OVO Wembley Arena. Whyte was in a must win situation as a defeat would have made it difficult to get back into title contention. This is because he was coming off a loss to Fury last April. When you look at the fight, Franklin looked the more active of the two fighters. Yet most of his punches landed on Whyte’s arms and the Englishman never looked in trouble in the fight. When you look at Whyte’s performance, it was underwhelming. The reason for this is that the fight was closer than it needed to be. His gameplan seemed to be fight behind the jab, he didn’t take an aggressive approach. His experience was on full display as he looked calm and collected in the bout. The biggest punch of the fight came in the final round of the contest. This was when Whyte landed a big right hand which left Franklin bouncing off the ropes. The bell saved Franklin from being stopped.
Whyte on the fight.
"He's undefeated (Franklin) and he's got a lot of beans in his body. His stock rose tonight.”
"I could've probably been a bit more active and let off a few more big shots."
The fight was close with both fighters having their moments. You could have scored the fight either way, with one judge even scoring the contest a draw.
Franklin wasn’t happy with the outcome of the bout.
"I felt like I got robbed on the decision, I felt like a did enough."
Whyte will now look towards a potential blockbuster fight against Joshua next year. The two exchanged words after the fight on Saturday. If the two were to meet next year it would be the second time they would meet professionally. Joshua was victorious in the first meeting, this means Whyte will be hoping to avenge a loss.
It was a great fight in London as we look towards the return of Fury.